Afleveringen

  • On February 1 — that is, three days from now — President Donald Trump has promised to apply a tariff of 25% to all U.S. imports from Canada and Mexico, crude oil very much not excepted. Canada has been the largest source of American crude imports for more than 20 years. More than that, the U.S. oil industry has come to depend on Canada’s thick, sulfurous oil to blend with America’s light, sweet domestic product to suit its highly specialized refineries. If that heavy, gunky stuff suddenly becomes a lot more expensive, so will U.S. oil refining.


    Rory Johnston is an oil markets analyst in Toronto. He writes the Commodity Context newsletter, a data-driven look at oil markets and commodity flows. He’s also a lecturer at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy and a fellow with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute and the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines. He previously led commodities market research at Scotiabank. (And he’s Canadian.)


    On this week’s episode of Shift Key, Jesse and Jillian attempt to untangle the pile of spaghetti that is the U.S.-Canadian oil trade. Shift Key is hosted by Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University, and Jillian Goodman, Heatmap’s deputy editor. Robinson Meyer is off this week.


    Mentioned:


    How the U.S. and Canadian oil industries evolved together


    Johnston on how tariffs could disrupt a finely calibrated relationship


    Jesse’s upshift; Jillian’s upshift.


    --

    This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by …


    Intersolar & Energy Storage North America is the premier U.S.-based conference and trade show focused on solar, energy storage, and EV charging infrastructure. To learn more, visit intersolar.us.


    Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • The Los Angeles wildfires have killed at least 27 people, destroyed more than 17,000 structures, and displaced tens of thousands. In the next few months, the billions of costs in damage to homes and property will ripple through the state’s insurance market — and likely cause its insurer of last resort to run out of money.


    Benjamin Keys has studied how natural disasters, rising sea levels, and increasing exposure to risk have driven up insurance costs nationwide. He is a professor of real estate and finance at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, and one of the country’s top experts on climate change, home values, and insurance markets.


    On this week’s episode of Shift Key, Rob and Jesse talk with Keys about how California broke its insurance market, why insurance costs are rising nationwide, and how homeowners, home buyers, and communities can protect themselves. They dive into President Donald Trump’s dizzying first day of executive actions and how they’ll affect the future of energy development. Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap, and Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University.


    Mentioned: 


    Keys’ testimony to Senate budget committee about climate risks in the housing system


    Keys’ research on climate risk in mortgage escrow data


    This pre-wildfire reporting on California’s insurance system and the site of the Eaton Fire


    Rob’s downshift; Jesse’s downshift.


    --

    This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by …


    Intersolar & Energy Storage North America is the premier U.S.-based conference and trade show focused on solar, energy storage, and EV charging infrastructure. To learn more, visit intersolar.us.


    Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?

    Klik hier om de feed te vernieuwen.

  • Hydrogen. What are you even supposed to think about it? If you’ve spent serious time focusing on climate policy, you’ve heard the hype about hydrogen — about the miraculous things that it might do to eliminate carbon pollution from cars, power plants, steel mills, or more. You’ve also seen that hype fizzle out — even as governments have poured billions of dollars into making it work.


    On this week’s episode of Shift Key, Rob and Jesse give you a rough guide for how to think about clean hydrogen, which could help decarbonize the industrial — even the molecular — side of the economy by storing energy and helping to make clean steel and chemicals. Do we really need hydrogen to fight climate change? Where would it be useful? And why has it failed to take off in the past? What will Trump and China mean for global hydrogen policy? Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap, and Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University.


    Mentioned:


    How the Haber-Bosch process was transferred after WWI


    There’s Something for (Almost) Everyone in the Hydrogen Tax Credit Rules


    The Hydrogen Ladder


    Why it’s so hard to ship hydrogen


    The hydrogen tax credit could have had unintended emission consequences — here’s the study about why


    Jesse on why Biden’s hydrogen rules are on the right track


    Jesse’s upshift; Rob’s downshift.


    --

    This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by …


    Intersolar & Energy Storage North America is the premier U.S.-based conference and trade show focused on solar, energy storage, and EV charging infrastructure. To learn more, visit intersolar.us.


    Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • China’s greenhouse gas emissions were essentially flat this year — or they recorded a tiny increase, according to a recent report from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, or CREA. A third of experts surveyed by the report believe that its coal emissions have peaked. Has the world’s No. 1 emitter of carbon pollution now turned a corner on climate change?  


    Lauri Myllyvirta is the co-founder and lead analyst at CREA, an independent research organization focused on air pollution and headquartered in Finland. Myllyvirta has worked on climate policy, pollution, and energy issues in Asia for the past decade, and he lived in Beijing from 2015 to 2019. 


    On this week’s episode of Shift Key, Rob and Jesse talk with Lauri about whether China’s emissions have peaked, why the country is still building so much coal power (along with gobs of solar and wind), and the energy-intensive shift that its economy has taken in the past five years. Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap, and Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University.


    Mentioned:


    The CREA report: China’s Climate Transition: Outlook 2024


    Chinese EV companies beat their own targets in 2024


    How China Created an EV Juggernaut


    Rob’s upshift; Jesse’s upshift.


    --

    This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by …


    Intersolar & Energy Storage North America is the premier U.S.-based conference and trade show focused on solar, energy storage, and EV charging infrastructure. To learn more, visit intersolar.us.


    Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Happy new year! On this week’s episode of Shift Key, Rob and Jesse answer some of the questions they’ve received from readers throughout the year. Hot topics include: What happened to the Green New Deal, and is the Inflation Reduction Act part of its legacy? Should U.S. policy prioritize solar manufacturing or solar deployment? And how can normal people keep AI-driven data centers from blowing up the grid? 


    Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap, and Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University.


    Mentioned: 


    How vehicle-to-grid works


    Carnegie Endowment report on which clean energy supply chains should be prioritized


    Jonathan Koomey’s skeptical take on AI load growth


    A new pitch for off-grid solar-powered AI data centers (with gas backup)


    Jesse’s upshift; Rob’s upshift.


    --

    This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by …


    Intersolar & Energy Storage North America is the premier U.S.-based conference and trade show focused on solar, energy storage, and EV charging infrastructure. To learn more, visit intersolar.us.


    Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • The rise of artificial intelligence and the associated expansion of data centers is driving surging demand for new power supply. Earlier this fall at the annual meeting of Princeton University’s Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Jesse sat down with a panel of experts to discuss how society can meet the growing energy demands of AI while staying on track broader decarbonization efforts.


    How will we power the growing demand from AI and data centers? What role can nuclear power really play? Will AI lock us into a new generation of gas power plants? Are regulators prepared for what's coming? Jesse dives into all this and more with Allison Clements, former commissioner of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Matt DeNichilo, partner at energy investment firm ECP, and Lucia Tian, head of clean energy and decarbonization technologies at Google.


    Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap, and Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University. Rob is off this week.


    Mentioned:


    More on the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment


    Previously on Shift Key: A Skeptic’s Take on AI and Energy Growth


    Rob on AI and energy demand


    --

    This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by …


    Watershed’s climate data engine helps companies measure and reduce their emissions, turning the data they already have into an audit-ready carbon footprint backed by the latest climate science. Get the sustainability data you need in weeks, not months. Learn more at watershed.com.


    As a global leader in PV and ESS solutions, Sungrow invests heavily in research and development, constantly pushing the boundaries of solar and battery inverter technology. Discover why Sungrow is the essential component of the clean energy transition by visiting sungrowpower.com.


    Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Jennifer Granholm has long been one of the most interesting figures in the Democratic Party. A former federal prosecutor, she was the governor of Michigan from 2003 to 2011, leading the state during the Great Recession and subsequent auto bailout. Since 2021, she has been the 16th U.S. Secretary of Energy. While there, she has overseen the department’s transformation from an R&D-focused agency to an aspiring engine of industrial strategy. 


    On this week’s episode of Shift Key, Rob sits down with Secretary Granholm in person in New York to conduct an exit interview, of sorts. What climate policies is she most proud of — and what does she hope Democrats do better next time? What does she wish that Democrats understood about fossil fuels? And what does she think the outlook for clean energy is in the years to come? 


    Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap, and Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University. Jesse is off this week.


    Mentioned: 


    Biden’s long game on climate change, by Rob


    The DOE’s Earthshots initiatives


    The DOE’s new Office of Technology Transitions and its liftoff reports


    A Governor’s Story, by Jennifer Granholm


    And here’s a transcript of the episode


    --

    This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by …


    Watershed’s climate data engine helps companies measure and reduce their emissions, turning the data they already have into an audit-ready carbon footprint backed by the latest climate science. Get the sustainability data you need in weeks, not months. Learn more at watershed.com.


    As a global leader in PV and ESS solutions, Sungrow invests heavily in research and development, constantly pushing the boundaries of solar and battery inverter technology. Discover why Sungrow is the essential component of the clean energy transition by visiting sungrowpower.com.


    Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • The Chinese electric automaker BYD is entering a new stage in its history. Last month, it sold more than half a million electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. BYD has already shipped more cars this year than Ford and Honda, and it is fast coming for Volkswagen, GM, and Toyota’s crowns as the world’s three largest automakers.


    Earlier this year, Rob and Jesse spoke with Ilaria Mazzocco, a senior fellow with the Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. She has watched China’s EV industry grow from a small regional experiment into a planet-reshaping juggernaut. On this week’s episode of Shift Key, we’re re-running that conversation — one of our favorites ever to happen on the show. We’ll be back with a new episode next week.


    Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap, and Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University.


    Mentioned:


    Why Ford and GM are scared of Chinese electric cars


    President Biden’s announcement of new tariffs on Chinese EVs.


    The EU’s lower tariffs on Chinese EVs


    Trouble for Gotion's Michigan plant


    Rob on the Biden administration’s China thought


    Rob’s upshift.


    --

    This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by …


    Watershed’s climate data engine helps companies measure and reduce their emissions, turning the data they already have into an audit-ready carbon footprint backed by the latest climate science. Get the sustainability data you need in weeks, not months. Learn more at watershed.com.


    As a global leader in PV and ESS solutions, Sungrow invests heavily in research and development, constantly pushing the boundaries of solar and battery inverter technology. Discover why Sungrow is the essential component of the clean energy transition by visiting sungrowpower.com.


    Intersolar & Energy Storage North America is the premier U.S.-based conference and trade show focused on solar, energy storage, and EV charging infrastructure. To learn more, visit intersolar.us.


    Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • The Inflation Reduction Act, President Joe Biden’s landmark climate law, is the biggest investment in clean energy in American history. It is also in danger. In January, the Trump administration and a GOP Congress will take over the federal government — and they have made a variety of promises about how they’ll disrupt the law, ranging from full repeal to a more “surgical” reform approach.


    On this week’s episode of Shift Key, Rob and Jesse talk with Kristina Costa, who has worked since 2022 to implement the IRA’s climate provisions at the White House. She joins us to discuss what went right about the Biden administration’s rush to implement the law, why state government capacity is holding back Democratic policy goals, and why the federal government needs more tools to support energy innovation if it wants to keep up with China. She also discusses how the administration is trying to Trump-proof the law. Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap, and Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University.


    Mentioned: 


    Biden has obligated more than $100 billion in IRA grants


    The administration’s three big tax credit goals by the end of the year: hydrogen, advanced manufacturing, and technology-neutral clean electricity


    Jesse’s upshift; Rob’s upshift. 


    (And here’s what’s 250 miles from three cities: Newark, Chicago, Las Vegas.)


    --

    This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by …


    Watershed’s climate data engine helps companies measure and reduce their emissions, turning the data they already have into an audit-ready carbon footprint backed by the latest climate science. Get the sustainability data you need in weeks, not months. Learn more at watershed.com.


    As a global leader in PV and ESS solutions, Sungrow invests heavily in research and development, constantly pushing the boundaries of solar and battery inverter technology. Discover why Sungrow is the essential component of the clean energy transition by visiting sungrowpower.com.


    Intersolar & Energy Storage North America is the premier U.S.-based conference and trade show focused on solar, energy storage, and EV charging infrastructure. To learn more, visit intersolar.us.


    Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • It’s been a news-filled few weeks — so it’s time for a roundup. On this week’s episode of Shift Key, Rob and Jesse talk about what Trump’s cabinet selections might mean for his climate policy and whether permitting reform could still happen. Then Rob chats with Corey Cantor, senior EV analyst at BloombergNEF, about promising Q3 sales for U.S. automakers, General Motors’ turnaround, and how much the Trump administration might dent America’s EV uptake. 


    Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap, and Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University.


    Mentioned: 


    Heatmap: Trump’s pick for Energy Secretary is a big league fracking executive


    Chris Wright’s 2023 speech to the American Conservation Coalition, a GOP-aligned youth climate group


    What we know about Trump’s “whole of government” approach to energy


    Heatmap: Trump’s OMB Pick Wants to Purge the Government of ‘Climate Fanaticism’


    California could replace the EV tax credit, but Tesla would be excluded


    EV sales hit a record high in the U.S. in Q3


    Jesse’s midshift; Rob’s upshift.


    --

    This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by …


    Watershed’s climate data engine helps companies measure and reduce their emissions, turning the data they already have into an audit-ready carbon footprint backed by the latest climate science. Get the sustainability data you need in weeks, not months. Learn more at watershed.com.


    As a global leader in PV and ESS solutions, Sungrow invests heavily in research and development, constantly pushing the boundaries of solar and battery inverter technology. Discover why Sungrow is the essential component of the clean energy transition by visiting sungrowpower.com.


    Intersolar & Energy Storage North America is the premier U.S.-based conference and trade show focused on solar, energy storage, and EV charging infrastructure. To learn more, visit intersolar.us.


    Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Here’s the bad news: The world is almost certainly going to miss the Paris Agreement’s goal of keeping global temperatures from rising beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels. The needed emissions cuts are too large and the direction of policy too slow to lead to any other outcome. In the next few decades, global warming will slip past the 1.5 degree mark — and temperatures will keep rising.


    What does that mean? What comes next? And how should we feel about that? On this week’s episode of Shift Key, Rob and Jesse chat with Kate Marvel, an associate research scientist at Columbia University and the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies. We talk about why every 10th of a degree matters in the fight against climate change, the difference between tipping points and destabilizing feedback loops, and how to think about climate change in a disappointing time. Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap, and Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University.


    Mentioned: 


    The UN Environmental Program’s emissions gap report


    The IPCC’s monumental report on the risks of 1.5C of temperature rise


    Jesse’s post-Trump op-ed: Trump Is Not the End of the Climate Fight


    Rob’s piece from 2023 on the “end of climate science”


    Trump’s Energy Secretary-designate Chris Wright’s speech at the American Conservation Coalition Summit


    Jesse’s downshift; Rob’s upshift. 


    --

    This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by …


    Watershed’s climate data engine helps companies measure and reduce their emissions, turning the data they already have into an audit-ready carbon footprint backed by the latest climate science. Get the sustainability data you need in weeks, not months. Learn more at watershed.com.


    As a global leader in PV and ESS solutions, Sungrow invests heavily in research and development, constantly pushing the boundaries of solar and battery inverter technology. Discover why Sungrow is the essential component of the clean energy transition by visiting sungrowpower.com.


    Intersolar & Energy Storage North America is the premier U.S.-based conference and trade show focused on solar, energy storage, and EV charging infrastructure. To learn more, visit intersolar.us.


    Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • The rollbacks are coming. Donald Trump’s incoming administration is expected to pull the United States out of the Paris Agreement, weaken the Environmental Protection Agency’s rules for power plants and tailpipe pollution, and — potentially — rewrite or repeal big swaths of the Inflation Reduction Act. Each of those actions would seem to provide an opening for the world’s No. 1 polluter — China — to assert global leadership and zip ahead in the next generation of clean energy technology.


    How will it respond? On this week’s episode of Shift Key, Rob and Jesse chat with Jeremy Wallace, the A. Doak Barnett Professor of China Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Wallace, a Heatmap contributor, helps us understand how China is thinking about Trump, the current state of China’s economy, and why China sometimes flexes its climate leadership — but just as often doesn’t. Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap, and Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University.


    Mentioned: 


    Jeremy Wallace on how China will respond to U.S. reversals


    Jeremy’s writing on China, clean energy, and trade


    Rob on how the Biden administration thought about China and clean energy 


    The Draghi report: EU competitiveness: Looking ahead


    --

    This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by …


    Watershed’s climate data engine helps companies measure and reduce their emissions, turning the data they already have into an audit-ready carbon footprint backed by the latest climate science. Get the sustainability data you need in weeks, not months. Learn more at watershed.com.


    As a global leader in PV and ESS solutions, Sungrow invests heavily in research and development, constantly pushing the boundaries of solar and battery inverter technology. Discover why Sungrow is the essential component of the clean energy transition by visiting sungrowpower.com.


    Intersolar & Energy Storage North America is the premier U.S.-based conference and trade show focused on solar, energy storage, and EV charging infrastructure. To learn more, visit intersolar.us.


    Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Last night, Donald Trump secured a second term in the White House. He campaigned on an aggressively pro-fossil -fuel agenda, promising to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act, Biden’s landmark 2022 climate law, and roll back Environmental Protection Agency rules governing power plant and car and truck pollution.


    On this week’s episode of Shift Key, Jesse and Rob pick through the results of the election and try to figure out where climate advocates go from here. What will Trump 2.0 mean for the federal government’s climate policy? Did climate policies notch any wins at the state level on Tuesday night? And where should decarbonization advocates focus their energy in the months and years to come? Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap, and Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University.


    Mentioned: 


    Rob’s post-election story: Trump Won. Now the Fight Over the Clean Energy Economy Begins.


    Heatmap’s rundown of climate election results around the country


    How clean energy stocks are faring post-Trump’s win


    --

    This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by …


    Watershed’s climate data engine helps companies measure and reduce their emissions, turning the data they already have into an audit-ready carbon footprint backed by the latest climate science. Get the sustainability data you need in weeks, not months. Learn more at watershed.com.


    As a global leader in PV and ESS solutions, Sungrow invests heavily in research and development, constantly pushing the boundaries of solar and battery inverter technology. Discover why Sungrow is the essential component of the clean energy transition by visiting sungrowpower.com.


    Intersolar & Energy Storage North America is the premier U.S.-based conference and trade show focused on solar, energy storage, and EV charging infrastructure. To learn more, visit intersolar.us.


    Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • It’s all happening. The presidential election is a week away, and our cohost Jesse Jenkins is back from vacation. There is so much to talk about in the world of decarbonization and energy. So we tried to catch up on all of it. Are EV sales starting to rebound in the U.S.? What’s up with the Cybertruck? And what about Senator Joe Manchin’s permitting reform bill? 


    On this week’s episode of Shift Key, Jesse and Rob attempt to discuss all those questions and more. Peak oil demand — the IRA’s focus on manufacturing — the emerging political economy of decarbonization — we hit it all. Or we try to, at least. Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap, and Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University.


    Mentioned: 


    Q3 EV sales; GM beats expectations


    Is Tesla struggling to convert Cybertruck preorders? 


    Jesse was wrong about Cybertruck sales: Exhibit 1, Exhibit 2


    The IEA projects peak demand for fossil fuels.


    The importance of local PUC elections


    New York’s hydrogen hub is on ice


    Jesse’s upshift; Rob’s upshift.


    --

    This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by …


    Watershed’s climate data engine helps companies measure and reduce their emissions, turning the data they already have into an audit-ready carbon footprint backed by the latest climate science. Get the sustainability data you need in weeks, not months. Learn more at watershed.com.


    As a global leader in PV and ESS solutions, Sungrow invests heavily in research and development, constantly pushing the boundaries of solar and battery inverter technology. Discover why Sungrow is the essential component of the clean energy transition by visiting sungrowpower.com.


    Intersolar & Energy Storage North America is the premier U.S.-based conference and trade show focused on solar, energy storage, and EV charging infrastructure. To learn more, visit intersolar.us.


    Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Over the past two months, the country’s biggest tech companies have announced a flurry of deals with advanced and conventional nuclear companies. At the same time, Democratic candidates running for federal office — including Kamala Harris and a handful of Senate candidates — have touted their support of building new nuclear power plants. Has nuclear’s moment finally arrived?


    On this week’s episode of Shift Key, we have Josh Freed, the senior vice president of Third Way’s climate and energy program, discussing why nuclear might be about to boom, why Democrats are embracing nuclear, and whether a Trump administration could derail the investments. This episode of Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap, and Jillian Goodman, Heatmap’s deputy editor. 


    Shift Key co-host Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University, is out this week.


    Mentioned: 


    What Makes Amazon’s Big Nuclear Deal Different


    Microsoft’s Mega Deal Is a Massive Victory for Nuclear Power


    Google’s deal with Kairos Energy


    Democrats Embrace Nuclear Power In Heated Senate Races, by Alexander Kaufman


    Jillian’s upshift/downshift, Rob’s upshift.


    --

    This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by …


    Watershed’s climate data engine helps companies measure and reduce their emissions, turning the data they already have into an audit-ready carbon footprint backed by the latest climate science. Get the sustainability data you need in weeks, not months. Learn more at watershed.com.


    As a global leader in PV and ESS solutions, Sungrow invests heavily in research and development, constantly pushing the boundaries of solar and battery inverter technology. Discover why Sungrow is the essential component of the clean energy transition by visiting sungrowpower.com.


    Intersolar & Energy Storage North America is the premier U.S.-based conference and trade show focused on solar, energy storage, and EV charging infrastructure. To learn more, visit intersolar.us.


    Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • What’s next for the Biden administration — and for climate policy in the United States? Should Democrats negotiate with Republicans over permitting reform, even if it means making concessions to fossil fuel interests? And how should the country’s trade policy handle the problem of carbon pollution?  


    On this week’s episode of Shift Key, Rob speaks with Ali Zaidi, the national climate advisor to President Joe Biden. Zaidi leads the White House Climate Policy Office, which coordinates domestic climate policy across federal agencies. Before joining the White House in 2021, Zaidi was the state of New York’s deputy secretary for energy and environment. This interview was recorded live on October 10 in New Haven, Connecticut, at the Yale Clean Energy Conference. 


    Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap, and Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University. Jesse is out this week.


    Mentioned: 


    Rob on housing policy as climate policy


    Hydrogen Tax Credit Rules Will Be Done by the End of the Year


    Rob’s upshift, and his other upshift.


    --

    This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by …


    Watershed’s climate data engine helps companies measure and reduce their emissions, turning the data they already have into an audit-ready carbon footprint backed by the latest climate science. Get the sustainability data you need in weeks, not months. Learn more at watershed.com.


    As a global leader in PV and ESS solutions, Sungrow invests heavily in research and development, constantly pushing the boundaries of solar and battery inverter technology. Discover why Sungrow is the essential component of the clean energy transition by visiting sungrowpower.com.


    Intersolar & Energy Storage North America is the premier U.S.-based conference and trade show focused on solar, energy storage, and EV charging infrastructure. To learn more, visit intersolar.us.


    Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • How can you fight climate change in your daily life? Last month, Heatmap published our attempt at answering that question: Called Decarbonize Your Life, it’s a series of stories and guides to help you make decisions that nudge the energy system away from fossil fuels. We consulted studies, ran our own analysis (with help from some friends), and used our expert judgment to arrive at six big, high-leverage actions you can take to fight climate change.


    On this week’s episode of Shift Key, Jesse and Rob speak with Heatmap’s deputy editor Jillian Goodman and founding staff writer Emily Pontecorvo about what those actions are, how the guide came together, and why big choices matter so much more than small ones. Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap, and Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University.


    Mentioned: 


    Decarbonize Your Life


    Quantifying the potential for climate change mitigation of consumption options


    Emily on WattTime’s work with Apple


    Emily on heat pumps


    Jillian on the climate food rules


    Rob on switching to an EV


    Rob and Emily on why we don’t include flying


    Jesse’s downshift (sorta); Rob’s upshift.


    --

    This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by …


    Watershed’s climate data engine helps companies measure and reduce their emissions, turning the data they already have into an audit-ready carbon footprint backed by the latest climate science. Get the sustainability data you need in weeks, not months. Learn more at watershed.com.


    As a global leader in PV and ESS solutions, Sungrow invests heavily in research and development, constantly pushing the boundaries of solar and battery inverter technology. Discover why Sungrow is the essential component of the clean energy transition by visiting sungrowpower.com.


    Intersolar & Energy Storage North America is the premier U.S.-based conference and trade show focused on solar, energy storage, and EV charging infrastructure. To learn more, visit intersolar.us.


    Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • This is a special Hurricane Helene edition of Shift Key. Our regular programming will resume next week.


    Nearly a week after Hurricane Helene made landfall, we are still coming to terms with the scale of its destruction. The storm killed at least 182 people, making it the deadliest cyclone to make landfall in the continental United States since Katrina. From Tampa Bay to Asheville, North Carolina, it caused the worst hurricane-related damage in a century.


    Why was Hurricane Helene so bad? Why did it cause such horrible flooding in western North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia? And did climate change have anything to do with its destruction? To answer these questions, Rob and Jesse speak with Gabriel Vecchi, a Princeton geoscientist and one of the world’s top experts on hurricanes and climate change. Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer is the founding executive editor of Heatmap, and Jesse Jenkins is a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University.


    Mentioned: 


    Vecchi’s study on how hurricanes will get wetter as the climate warms 


    An early attribution study on Hurricane Helene and climate change


    The Wall Street Journal: Why Helene Devastated an Area So Far Inland


    The Average U.S. Hurricane Kills 7,000 to 11,000 People


    In terms of organizations on the ground, we like World Central Kitchen and the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund.


    --

    This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by …


    Watershed’s climate data engine helps companies measure and reduce their emissions, turning the data they already have into an audit-ready carbon footprint backed by the latest climate science. Get the sustainability data you need in weeks, not months. Learn more at watershed.com.


    As a global leader in PV and ESS solutions, Sungrow invests heavily in research and development, constantly pushing the boundaries of solar and battery inverter technology. Discover why Sungrow is the essential component of the clean energy transition by visiting sungrowpower.com.


    Intersolar & Energy Storage North America is the premier U.S.-based conference and trade show focused on solar, energy storage, and EV charging infrastructure. To learn more, visit intersolar.us.


    Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • In just over a month, America will elect hundreds of thousands of people to state, county, and municipal offices. While those elections might lack the splashiness of the race for the White House or Congress, they could shape how and whether the United States fights climate change. So which elections matter most?


    On this week’s episode of Shift Key, Jesse and Rob speak with Caroline Spears, the executive director of Climate Cabinet, a group that tries to do ‘Moneyball for climate policy,’ analyzing the races that could matter most for the country’s decarbonization. A winner of the Grist 50 award, Spears formerly worked in the solar industry and now leads the growing organization. We dive into which offices have the most sway role over adaptation and mitigation and which races deserve your attention in 2024. Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap, and Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University.


    Mentioned: 


    Climate Cabinet


    Rob’s upshift, Jesse’s downshift.


    --

    This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by …


    Watershed’s climate data engine helps companies measure and reduce their emissions, turning the data they already have into an audit-ready carbon footprint backed by the latest climate science. Get the sustainability data you need in weeks, not months. Learn more at watershed.com.


    As a global leader in PV and ESS solutions, Sungrow invests heavily in research and development, constantly pushing the boundaries of solar and battery inverter technology. Discover why Sungrow is the essential component of the clean energy transition by visiting sungrowpower.com.


    Intersolar & Energy Storage North America is the premier U.S.-based conference and trade show focused on solar, energy storage, and EV charging infrastructure. To learn more, visit intersolar.us.


    Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • It’s potentially one of the most important — but least understood — provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act, and it’s finally out in the world. Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency spent $27 billion to set up new green banks across the country. 


    These new lending institutions could direct billions of dollars to supercharging decarbonization, financing new solar farms, geothermal projects, EV chargers, and more. They’ll also recycle their funding indefinitely, meaning they will likely last longer than any other provision in the law. 


    On this week’s show, Rob and Jesse bring you a user’s guide to these new green banks and what they might mean for decarbonization. The episode features two conversations: First, Rob speaks with Jahi Wise, the former director for the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund program at the Environmental Protection Agency. Second, Rob and Jesse chat with Dawn Lippert, the founder and CEO of Elemental Impact, a climate tech investment and nonprofit organization. Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap, and Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University.


    Mentioned: 


    The EPA’s $27 billion GGRF announcement


    The three big new green banks: Climate United, Coalition for Green Capital, Power Forward Communities


    Elemental’s $100 million in new funding from GGRF


    Jesse’s upshift (and the new facility in Flint, Michigan); Rob’s upshift.


    --

    This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by …


    Watershed’s climate data engine helps companies measure and reduce their emissions, turning the data they already have into an audit-ready carbon footprint backed by the latest climate science. Get the sustainability data you need in weeks, not months. Learn more at watershed.com.


    As a global leader in PV and ESS solutions, Sungrow invests heavily in research and development, constantly pushing the boundaries of solar and battery inverter technology. Discover why Sungrow is the essential component of the clean energy transition by visiting sungrowpower.com.


    Antenna Group helps you connect with customers, policymakers, investors, and strategic partners to influence markets and accelerate adoption. Visit antennagroup.com to learn more.


    Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.